His name is Tater Tot, and he’s brown, furry, and good at saving lives. The lovable mutt became a hero recently when he alerted a mom that her 4-year-old son was dangerously ill in the middle of the night.

Christi Smith, mom to 4-year-old Peyton, told local news affiliate Fox 9 News Minneapolis that she’d only brought Tater Tot home a week ago, because the local animal shelter was about to put him down. Christi says she planned to foster the pit bull until she could find the pooch a more permanent home.

After only staying with the family a few days, one night Tater Tot frantically woke Christi and led her to her son. She told Fox 9, “He just seemed kind of weird. He wasn't really coherent —– deliriously tired." Tater Tot hysterically tried to wake the boy up, “He kept on whining and barking and running between the two of us," Christi said. "I checked on him, and he was barely breathing." The frantic mom immediately took her son to the ER, where doctors ran tests and discovered that Peyton’s blood sugar was dangerously low.

Having proven once again that dogs really are everyone’s best friends, Christi says Tater Tot has been permanently adopted by their family. Although the doctors weren’t certain why Peyton had the blood sugar crash (diabetes was quickly ruled out) we’re happy that he’ll now have his four-legged BFF to watch over him.